Global suppliers, regional manufacturers, and key decision makers in the Saudi warehouse, freight and cargo industries will share the stage as the inaugural edition of Materials Handling Saudi Arabia gets underway tomorrow. Taking place on Nov. 28-29 at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Jeddah, the two-day conference has attracted a line-up of 17 expert speakers, while a co-located exhibition features 25 exhibitors showcasing their latest solutions for Saudi's thriving logistics sector. Organized by Messe Frankfurt Middle East in partnership with Saudi-based Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), Materials Handling Saudi Arabia is a biennial event alternating between the flagship Materials Handling Middle East Exhibition in Dubai. The dual-platform arrives as the trend of modernization in the logistics and warehousing and the need for automated systems in Saudi Arabia means industry players are searching for innovative solutions to stay up-to-date in a competitive market. Their questions on how to address opportunities and challenges in a rapidly evolving market will largely be answered at the Supply Chain and Logistics Forum, bringing together top industry leaders, analysts, and solutions providers. The conference begins with a key presentation by Eng. Ashraf M. Kotait, former port operation expert at Saudi Ports Authority (SEAPA), who will explore the future direction of global supply chain and logistics, and where the industry is heading. His presentation spearheads an engaging day 1 program at the Supply Chain and Logistics Forum, where other discussions include how to maximize supply chain profits; success factors for investing in and implementing automated solutions; and how to improve efficiency and productivity in retail logistics. Meanwhile, the world's leading suppliers will showcase material handling systems, forklifts, storage solutions, and equipment aimed at a vast range of industries, from ecommerce, pharma & cosmetics, food & beverage, retail, automotive, and manufacturing. The healthy response from suppliers of products and services related to intralogistics, warehousing, supply chain, ports, and port equipment is headlined by heavyweight manufacturers including Launch Partners Swisslog, SSI Schaeffer, and Daifuku. Industry Partners include Abdul Latif Jameel Industrial Equipment Company – the Saudi distributor for Toyota forklifts – Log Square, and EIKA. Saudi-based Arabian Auto Agency is another important company out in force that will announce the launch its newly acquired STILL franchise of material handling equipment. Mike Fritz, the Deputy Managing Director at Arabian Auto Agency, said: "STILL is a premium brand of material handling equipment and offers a wide range of solutions for today's demanding customers. "More and more customers are starting to realize that it's not all about the upfront cost of a piece of equipment but rather the total cost of ownership. We have a dedicated team of consultants to assist our customers in choosing the right equipment for their applications and thereby ensuring the lowest operational cost and this translates directly to adding profit to their bottom line." IBLS from Greece is exhibiting at the inaugural show in partnership with Saudi-based WPL to offer engineering consultancy services in the layout, design and implementation of warehouse and industrial buildings. Ioannis Manolas, CEO of IBLS, said the company applies high quality international standards, offering complete solutions in the design, procurement, and project management of logistics and food processing industrial development projects. "Our methodology, expertise and specialization for logistics and food processing projects means we're able to offer complete solutions starting from requirement analysis and diagnostic study right through to total assumption of responsibility," he said. "The trend of modernization of logistics in general and the urge for automated systems is making a big impact on the market, and we're eager to meet with big distributers and retailers, as well as important food processing corporations at Materials Handling Saudi Arabia." — SG
